R&D Monitoring Report 2015

Executive Summary

The R&D Monitoring Report 2015 aims to assess the progress of European TSO-related research and development (R&D) activities defined in the R&D Roadmap 2013–2022. The report disseminates knowledge and informs regulators, funding institutions, research community and other stakeholders about recent R&D achievements.

There have been major R&D achievements to facilitate the massive integration of renewable energy sources into the system, e. g., by the improvement of wind forecasts, better assessment of required reserves, and the implementation of innovative tools to support the decision-making process for system operators.

Also, a newly developed set of management and control concepts facilitates the safe integration of electric vehicles into the European electricity system. New tools support the long-term planning of the European electricity system and the simulation of cross-border interaction, while several initiatives aim at reducing the environmental and social effect of power infrastructures.

Highlights

The completion of the R&D objectives set by the R&D Roadmap 2013 – 2022 has considerably progressed, from an estimated 11 % of completion in 2013 to 38 % today. An additional 17 % is already ­underway. The degree of completion is higher for activities related to grid architecture, power technologies, and network operation.

This report considers 71 R&D projects. This is ­almost double the number of projects considered in the R&D Monitoring Report 2013. Of these 71 ­projects, 33 have a European dimension and 38 are national.

For the first time, this report identifies 16 major R&D results as the most promising for short-term deployment by 2020. This goes from a technology that maximises the utilisation of the existing electricity grid to the linking of offshore wind parks to the mainland by building a meshed offshore grid.

Sharing and disseminating new knowledge produced in the framework of R&D activities is vital for an ­efficient deployment of the solutions developed in the Roadmap. To achieve these goals, R&D projects also require constant support with respect to financing, time, and resources.

The results of this R&D Monitoring Report will be used to apply corrective measures and assign ­action priorities for the R&D Implementation Plan 2017–2019 and a new R&D Roadmap, both to be released in 2016.

About this publication

The energy system is evolving, and TSOs are at the centre of accelerating technological innovation. New grid equipment technologies, innovative modelling methods, and grid architecture are needed to follow up on the objectives of a secure, sustainable, and competitive internal energy market. ENTSO-E coordinates innovation activities of TSOs to ensure that the future grid is up to the challenge.

Rationale and Methodology

A total of 71 european R&D projects that we deemed to be relevant to TSOs are considered for this report. Learn about how we monitored the progress of these projects.

R&D Achievements

The results of the monitoring analyses show that the completion of the objectives set in the R&D Roadmap 2013–2022 has progressed considerably since 2013 from an estimated 11% of completion to 38% as of today.

Deployment Potential of R&D Results

Parallel to the monitoring exercise to track the progress of the R&D Roadmap, extensive interviews have been done within the Grid+Storage project to identify the deployment potential of R&D results.

The achievements of R&D projects may be intermediate results or may call for further research, for further development, or for a demonstration. Sixteen major results have been identified as the most promising ones for short-term deployment by 2020. An indicative timing for deployment is specified. In addition, ENTSO-E is organizing some concrete actions in order to facilitate the deployment of the R&D results.

Gaps & Recommendations

R&D Gaps

The R&D gaps have been significantly reduced, from 64% in 2013 to 45% today. Analyses are performed for each cluster in order to identify the main remaining gaps.

The gap analyses have shown that even though there are many ongoing projects, a significant effort is still required in some areas.

Recommendations

Acquiring and sharing new knowledge produced in the framework of R&D activities is vital for achieving the goals set in the R&D Roadmap. Systematic approaches are needed in order to perform the collection and sharing of knowledge in a simple and efficient way. This will help to embed outcomes and new competencies within the European electricity industry and to foster new R&D activities at both academic and industry levels.

Bottom Line

Conclusions

As this report demonstrates, we are on the way to reaching our R&D Roadmap goals and meeting our technical objectives. Comparisons with the R&D Monitoring Report 2013 provide many examples where significant progress has been made. At the same time, identification of R&D gaps allows us to apply corrective measures and assign action priorities for an implementation plan and a new roadmap.

A large number of R&D projects have covered major part of the R&D Roadmap. The completion of the R&D objectives set by the R&D Roadmap 2013 – 2022 has considerably progressed from an estimated 1 1 % of completion in 2013 to 38 % today.

Potential R&D results are identified for short-term deployment, covering improved grid planning approaches, transmission grid technologies, secure and efficient management of the transmission system and integration of renewables in the European electricity market, to name but a few.

Acquiring and sharing new knowledge produced in the framework of R&D activities is vital for deploying roadmap results. Lessons learnt and best practices will not only stimulate active participation and ­application of R&D activities but will also help shape ­future R&D projects.